WTF, mate?

You may be wondering how I dare title my iJournal (we'll get to my wording later) in such a self-congratulatory manner.  Believe me, never in my wildest dreams did I think I'd be living a life less ordinary than any other typical young North American woman with a B.A. in psychology and not much else to her name.  In my mind's eye I've had an interesting and entertaining life, though I dare say that I primarily share that opinion with my family, and to a lesser extent with a few good friends.

This all changed when...

I signed a contract to spend the next two years living, studying, and working in Abu Dhabi.  

Which is where this comes in--WTF, MATE?!  (I hope someone caught my reference to The End of the World.)  This is going to be the adventure of a lifetime.  An unbelievable opportunity.  A once-in-a-lifetime experience.  Etc etc etc.  I'll admit, I have to remind myself of these truths every time I talk to my parents, my sister, or friends I'm leaving behind.  I just spent an entire year adjusting to my job as a teacher at a residential school for students with autism, the slowest year of my life (which still flashed by in an instant).  In 10 days I'll be leaving for nearly 24 hours of traveling to finally arrive in the United Arab Emirates, my new home...not a semester of college, not a study abroad experience, but a new life.  

I'm not sure yet if this iJournal (yes, yes, I'll explain soon) is primarily for me or for my friends and family who perhaps want to keep track of me in the coming years.  To anyone who is reading this though, welcome.  

Maybe this is presumptuous of me, but I'm fairly certain that I'm about to live a life less ordinary....